


High Hopes Last Wish

by Goldstone_Wolf



Series: High Hopes Low (Blank) [14]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), High Hopes Low Rolls (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Magic Crystals, Reunions, The Synopsis Does Not Do It Justice, Y'all I Almost Cried, a bit of hurt/comfort, heart-warming fluff, inspired by a tumblr post and a dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23823217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldstone_Wolf/pseuds/Goldstone_Wolf
Summary: While walking through a forest, High Hopes finds an odd-looking gem. When Paddy touches it, something happens.
Relationships: Malark Dundragon/Paddock "Paddy" Whitlaw, Paddock "Paddy" Whitlaw & Seamus Whitlaw & Brianna Whitlaw, Rook Lunera/Gwing Veloce, Seamus Whitlaw/Brianna Whitlaw
Series: High Hopes Low (Blank) [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692196
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	High Hopes Last Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Totally not inspired by a drawing of Paddy and his mum by hunny-coves on tumblr and a dream I had. This is an attempted link, but it might not work. https://hunny-coves.tumblr.com/post/615791047659995136/the-image-is-freaking-huge-cause-im-a-straight-up  
> Anyways, I used Seamus and Brianna for this for…reasons. While I don’t think it’s likely that Brianna survived the burning of Bay Hollow, I think the siblings surviving is more likely. Also, I’m lazy and I didn’t want to write that much all at once. Sorry, had a hard time last night but everything’s fine now.   
> Now, into the fray!

Paddy had been unusually silent for the past several weeks as they walked.

It had been a long while since he had broken his mask, since he and Malark had talked about his scar. Something seemed…off about him, although none of them could figure out what it was. As they walked through the forest, though, Malark found himself wondering what else was off. He could sense it, but everything seemed fine.

Taking a deep breath of the morning air, he glanced around. Growing sunlight dashed between the trees, highlighting emerald green leaves with gold. Along the path they were walking, flowers bloomed and glistened with morning dew. The sky above them was a pure blue, white whispers of clouds running along the edges with no sign of rain. Paddy was walking a ways behind the others, kicking rocks in front of him with his gaze on the ground. The smiling mask he always seemed to wear was gone, and his entire body seemed to be depressed.

Slowing his pace, Malark waited until he and Paddy were at the same pace, then walked beside him.

Neither said anything for a while. Malark didn’t know how long it was, but he didn’t mind. He could see everything around them, watch the world. Watch the rest of High Hopes. They all provided their own entertainment just by existing, if he was being honest. Ava and Mina and Terra were doing…something, he couldn’t tell what but occasionally one would point at something and then they would all laugh. Nagar was watching the forest, frowning ever so slightly every so often and then nearly jumping out of his scales when a deer or a rabbit hopped onto the path. Rook and Gwing were chatting while Nala and Zenya played around their feet, the pseudodragon throwing nuts and then trying to avoid swiping paws. Hashaan was glancing back every so often, checking on everyone, while Brio and Ryce were playing some sort of tune Malark had a feeling was to protect them all.

Paddy kept kicking rocks, finally whispering, “You can go walk with the others if you want. You don’t need to stick with me.” When Malark glanced at him, a pale green gaze darted to meet his and then went back to the dirt path they were on. Small pebbles scattered beneath their feet as they went, and birds chirped all around them.

Scoffing, Malark glanced at the others up ahead. “I prefer walking with you. You won’t try to talk my ear off with some boring story or other.” When Paddy opened his mouth, Malark glanced at him. “Your stories aren’t boring, Paddy, so don’t even _try_ to say they are. I’m not interested in hearing about weird crabs for the thirtieth time from Ava, that’s all.” He reached over and touched Paddy’s shoulder, finally willing to risk asking, “Hey, Pads, are you feeling okay? You seem a little…off.”

Paddy paused and took a breath, shoving his hands in his jacket. Looking away, he mumbled something that Malark had to ask him to repeat. Squeezing his eyes shut, the wood elf repeated, just a few shades above a whisper, “It’s my dad’s birthday today.”

Malark was about to pull Paddy into a hug when Nagar shouted for them up ahead.

When they raced up, Malark expected to find someone hurt. Instead, they found something very different. He wasn’t sure how to describe it, even though he was _sure_ that kind of thing wasn’t exactly natural. “Sorry to scare you, but…we were just wondering if either of you knew what this was.” Gwing shot a look at Nagar, who smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. Malark shook his head, stepping back to get a better look at it.

‘It’ was a massive spike of crystal jutting out from the earth. As the sunlight beamed through it, the massive shards turned whiskey amber, and cast bright beams of golden light around them. Something was carved into the surface, and Paddy frowned. “My family crest?” The words were whispered, a few breaths above silence, and the wood elf stepped up to where the crest was carved into the rock. Removing his fingerless gloves, he pressed his bare palm to the surface, frowning.

The rock suddenly burst with light, and everyone jumped into fighting positions.

~

For a few seconds, Paddy was frozen right next to the rock, eyes wide.

Someone—Malark, he had recognised the weight and feel—yanked him backwards as the crystal… _changed_ somehow. The sunlight seemed to bend in front of them all, forming some sort of humanoid shapes, and for a few seconds Paddy was blind because the light itself was as bright as the sun. When it began to fade, he cracked his eyes open and all the weight in his shoulders suddenly dropped. Two wood elves were standing in front of him, one a woman with long reddish hair that fell slightly below her shoulders and the other a man with darker, shorter hair. They were older than he was, with wrinkles by their eyes from smiling so much, and the way they looked at each other was like both had their hearts in their eyes. After a few moments, his heart pounding in his chest like it was about to force its way out, Paddy took a breath he didn’t realise he was holding.

They both looked to him and smiled, and he almost passed out right there.

“Paddy? Is everything okay?” Someone asked, although he wasn’t sure, and he nodded once, carefully. If he blinked, this was going to go away, and he wasn’t sure his heart could afford that but his eyes were blurring. The pair were still wearing the clothes from the last time he had seen them, and his breath hitched in his throat as he took a shaking step forwards. His hand slipped from Malark’s, although the assassin made no attempt to pull him back.

The two elves waited for him, calmly. When he was a few feet away, he paused, mouth dry and eyes burning. “M-Mom? Dad?” He barely managed the two words, the two names, and the pair smiled at him.

Seamus Whitlaw smiled, took a step forward, and pulled Paddy close. For a few moments, Paddy knew High Hopes was still bristling and ready to fight behind him. When they realised who he was (thanks to Rook, who whispered it aloud and confirmed that they could, in fact, see them too), though, they relaxed and weapons were sheathed. “Hey, Pads.” He whispered, mouth right by Paddy’s ear. Shoulders shaking, Paddy just grabbed onto his dad’s shirt and buried his face in his chest. Hands ghosted over his back, rubbing gentle circles between his shoulders, and he was sure his legs were going to give out any second. “It’s okay, you can cry. Nothing wrong with that.”

Brianna stepped forwards and joined the hug, and for a few moments Paddy couldn’t breathe because everything was okay in that moment.

Because it was them.

“How—how are you—” He paused, then glanced up at the crystal. “Are you really you?”

Brianna cupped his cheek gently, smiling in the same soft way she always used to. “We’re here, Paddy.” Her thumb rubbed under his eye, and he reached up to touch her hand and leaned into it. He was still shaking, still sure he was going to collapse at any moment and wake up only to have this all be a dream. He didn’t want it to be, but this…this had to be too good to be true. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s okay.”

“You’re gone.” He choked out, crying without really meaning to, and Seamus touched his shoulder again. “You’re both gone.” He looked at his dad. “You—you _died._ Before I even left.”

“I know.” Seamus’ smile didn’t fall for a second, and his eyes wandered to the rest of High Hopes before coming back to Paddy. “It seems you have some friends.”

Paddy glanced at them, then turned back to his parents and nodded. “Yeah, I did. We’re helping people. And maybe along the way, we’ll find the people who destroyed Bay Hollow.” Seamus and Brianna both smiled and touched his face again, and he almost sobbed when he realised the sunlight was fading slightly. _They_ were fading. “Don’t go, please.”

“Paddy, that’s not our choice. If it were, we’d stay.” Brianna whispered, still smiling. “We love you.”

“I know, I—I love you, too.” He was sobbing now, and they both smiled at him. Seamus pulled him into a last hug, running his fingers up into Paddy’s hair and kissing his forehead.

“Have hope, Paddy. This isn’t over yet.” They stayed like that for a little while, until the warmth of the sunlight faded. When Paddy opened his eyes, he couldn’t see his parents anymore. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the crystal and ran his fingers over the crest carved into it again.

“Have hope.”

Someone walked up behind him and touched his shoulder, and he turned to see Malark standing beside him. “You okay, Paddy?” He asked quietly, and Paddy glanced at the crystal. For a few moments, he wasn’t sure how he felt. He took another breath and then turned to him with the first honest smile in several days.

“Yeah. I’m alright.” As they started walking again, he glanced back at the crystal. He could have sworn he felt his parents still smiling at him, and he returned it. Malark was waiting for him up ahead again.

Rolling his shoulders, he jogged up to him with a grin.

**Author's Note:**

> : Originally, I was just going to end with Paddy saying “Have hope,” but then I realised that it just didn’t feel right. So I added a little more with Malark. If there was a sort of…I guess soundtrack, it would be Two Steps From Hell’s song “Love You Forever“ for when Paddy and his parents are talking and then Bahari’s song “Wild Ones” for the parts before and after that, as well as the notes. Also, I almost cried writing this, but it actually made me feel better at the end.   
> I put this off a couple hours because I could have written it last night at like twelve thirty but instead I worked on one of my official WIPs and I just realised I have nine protagonists on a rotating first person POV and that is going to be absolute HECK because the other series I have with that many protagonists and rotating POVs (one is twelve in third person limited; the other, more finished one, is seven consistent with five others popping in when necessary, all in first person) aren’t like that. Anyways, it’s going to be weird, and originally I was going to do it as third person but right now first person seems…I don’t know. I might switch it around but that’s going to be heck.  
> Anyways, thank you for reading. I will see you in the next fic.  
> For now, back into the fray!


End file.
